This is a cake that you can make without going to the grocery...I'm betting that you have everything in your pantry--that is, if you keep a well-stocked pantry. If you don't have the basic baking ingredients on hand, you might have to pay a visit to the store.
This recipe has been in our family for as long as I can remember. It lives on a laminated yellow index card that is housed in an old, rusty tin with, what appears to be, hay bales on the front of it. That is where all of the recipes from my childhood are...the chocolate pie, the lemon meringue pie, any casseroles you can imagine--everything is circa the 70s and is, thus, fairly retro. This cake, however, is timeless. It's like that little black dress that's always in style, no matter the occasion or the decade. It's a keeper.
As I have said before, I am not a big fan of cake, and on the spectrum of cake, chocolate cake is my last choice. This cake, however, is so moist and fudge-y that I have a hard time putting it in the cake category. It's a cake in name only.
I made this cake for my aunt's birthday, and she was kind enough to share it with everyone. Maybe the kegs had something to do with her generosity...Yes, this was at our Easter Sunday gathering.
Her cake was nearly gone by the time we left the cookout, and I have a feeling she was regretting letting everyone partake. There was even a marriage proposal made over the cake, but I decided to see if any other offers arise in the next lifetime or so...if not, I might have to reevaluate the offer.
This cake is called a 30-minute cake, because if you bake it in a 9" x 13" pan, it only bakes for 20 minutes, and the prep is about 10 minutes. I used a bundt pan for presentation sake, and it took longer since it was much thicker. So when (not if, because it's only a matter of time before you're going to want to try this cake) you make this, just check back after 20 minutes, and when a toothpick inserted comes out clean, it's done.
For the cake:
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
1 cup butter
1 cup water
3 T cocoa powder
2 eggs 1 t soda
½ cup buttermilk (or make your own...1/2 cup milk, less 2 t, and add 2 t white vinegar)
1 t vanilla
Preheat the oven to 400. Grease and flour your chosen pan with Baker's Joy...or the old fashioned way. Mix the sugar and flour together.
In a medium saucepan, bring butter, water, and cocoa to a point. Be sure to whisk out any cocoa lumps. Pour over the flour and sugar. Mix. Add eggs, one at a time. Add soda, buttermilk, and vanilla.
Once everything is combined, pour into your pan. Bake for 20 minutes if using a 9" x 13" pan, but if not, you will need to check it until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Make the icing when the cake comes out of the oven. As soon as you finish the icing, pour it over the hot cake. The cake will absorb some of the goodness. With the bundt cake, since the icing is so runny, it was used more as a glaze than a true icing, because it rolls down the sides. Let the cake cool, and the icing will harden. Slice and devour.
** Note (this is probably self-explanatory, but just covering all of my bases...): If you are not serving the cake out of the pan, turn it onto the serving platter before pouring the icing over it.
For the icing:
1/2 cup butter
6 T milk
3 T cocoa
1 t Vanilla
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts, optional
4 cups confectioners sugar
Bring butter, milk, and cocoa to a boil in a medium saucepan. Remove from heat, add vanilla and sugar. Stir until the lumps are gone. You may not need this entire amount.
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